THURSDAY
Today we are going to look at Psalm 46, which is one of the most beautiful Psalms of God’s protection. It has inspired Martin Luther’s famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”.
This Psalm was likely written after Israel was delivered from a great enemy. It was likely in response to an event like the one described in Isaiah 36-37. In those chapters the king of Assyria has marched on Jerusalem. The king’s spokesperson intimidates the people of Jerusalem by telling them that they are “doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine.” He challenges God’s ability to protect Jerusalem against the Assyrian army. The other nations the Assyrians conquered trusted in their gods to deliver them but none have.
So Hezekiah inquires of God and sends messengers to Isaiah. Isaiah prophecies that God will deliver the city from Assyria.
Isaiah 37:33–38 (NIV)
33 “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria: “He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. 34 By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city,” declares the Lord. 35 “I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!”
36 Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
38 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.
It is likely a great deliverance like this that led the Israelites to create this Psalm:
Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
The second part of verse 10 is just as important as the first—we must know that God is God. We will talk about this in a couple of weeks. But for today let’s focus on the “be still”.
The Hebrew word translated “be still” here carries the literal meaning of “release, grow slack, let go”. The image is of one holding tightly to a taught rope and then releasing one’s grip from the rope so the rope goes slack.
I think that is a great picture of surrender. So often in our lives we are attempting to play tug-of-war against forces that we cannot control. We pull and pull in vain only to wear ourselves out until we despair or grow bitter. When we come up against insurmountable obstacles that we cannot control perhaps the better path is to let go and know that God is God.
Additional Content
Isaiah 30:15 15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
Reflection
Take a moment and pray, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of your life that you are clinging to, like you would cling to a rope in tug-of-war. Ask him which areas of your life he is calling you to surrender. Then imagine yourself releasing your grip on that area and opening your palms to God in surrender to him.